Where adventure meets glamour

Argentina’s Mendoza: Let’s Buy a Vineyard

Ever dreamed of buying a vineyard? Not a big one, just a smallish patch to call your own…to squish the grapes, baby your vines, and throw a great harvest wine dinner…at the base of snow-capped mountains, preferably, where the sun shines most of the year.

Classic harvest dinner among the vines (courtesy of Vines of Mendoza)

YOU ARE IN LUCK because you can buy a small vineyard at the Vines of Mendoza, nestled at the base of the Andes Mountains in Argentina. Plus, when it’s hot-as-Hades-summer here in the States, it’s fall in Argentina.

Let’s go down the “South American Way!” Can you hear the music playing, you swaying, while swilling a glass of sparkling?! I can.

(photo courtesy of the Vines of Mendoza)

“…lovely squares, wide boulevards, a colonial feel, canals…” (NYTimes), Mendoza was established in 1651 by Spanish settlers and is the fifth largest wine producing region in the world. IN THE WORLD! “Mendoza itself makes a good base for a visit with new hotels, restaurants and bars in the historic center…Just a short drive away are vineyards, adventure sports and resorts under the shadow of the Andes with wine lists that feature the best of the region.” (NY Times)

Domaine Bousquet (Departures 2016)–4 cottages–“beautiful and the wines were great,” according to my friends who visited last year

Bodegas Salentein..”Located in Uco Valley, this strikingly modern winery complex…includes a lavish art museum and gift shop…” (Travel+Leisure online 2016) As reported from MTF’s on-the-ground reporters in Mendoza last year, “heard amazing things about this vineyard – from our close friends and from our private driver who took us to wineries!”

Andeluna: Our friends did a wine pairing lunch at Andeluna and “highly recommend!”

Vines of Mendoza–“The tasting room features about 100 producers, and it’s the only spot in the city where you can try so many in one place,” per NY Times, 2012. Town & Country (2014) also likes it. Vines of Mendoza is a co-op business owned by wine-making hobbyists (you, perhaps?), professional winemakers and chefs. You, too, can buy one of these plots below and have the joy of working your own vineyard, with or without the guidance of the on-staff professional grape growers and winemakers. A wine-collecting friend of mine just bought one and is loving it!

(photo courtesy of Vines of Mendoza)

This could be you! (photo courtesy of Vines of Mendoza)

“Apparently great deals on buying wine and shipping it back to the States, too!” according to another friend who visited last year and met fellow travelers who raved about Vines of Mendoza.

1884 Francis Mallmann — Francis Mallmann is the “it” celeb chef of Argentina. “The restaurant was born as a tribute to the wines of Mendoza and the Andean cuisine, in 1996,” per its website. “The Escorihuela Winery, which houses the restaurant, was built in 1884… houses the prestigious facilities of the Bodega “Caro” that is born from the union of Chateau Laffite led by the mythical Baron, Eric de Rothschild and Catena Zapata, led by Nicolás Catena Zapata who has been in the last 25 years the leader of the wine quality of Mendoza.” Sounds impressive!

roasting the meets and vegetables with the vineyards in the background at Siete Fuegos (photo courtesy of Vines of Mendoza)

preparing birds amongst the vineyards for dinner at Siete Fuegos (photo courtesy of Vines of Mendoza)

And now, let’s eat! What a gorgeous setting! Note the mountains beyond the vineyards. (photo courtesy of Vines of Mendoza)

STAY

Finca Adalgisa (recommended by Andrew Harper 2015 & Departures 2016): My close friends who stayed here described it as, “…a perfect oasis. We also did the cooking class there which was awesome. The hotel includes a glass of wine and an appetizer each night from 6-10 at their winery, too! It has so many secluded spots for couples to sit in…” Finca Adalgisa describes itself as a “wine hotel.” I can see why: it is surrounded by vineyards with the Andes Mountains behind them.

Vines Resort & Spa –This must be some-kind-of-wonderful because travel guru Andrew Harper included it in his 2016 list of top hotels in South America (Departures, 2016, Travel+Leisure and Town & Country, 2014 also like it); 22 villas built with local stone, wood and leather surrounded by 1,500 acres of vineyards..

This is really working for me! (photo courtesy of Vines of Mendoza)

Bonus: Yoga is available, as is a pool surrounded by vineyards. Horse back riding is an option, too, as are meals overseen by Argentina’s “it” chef.

After a morning of working your vineyard, get the kinks out with a little pond-side yoga. (photo courtesy of Vines of Mendoza)

Note the vines and Andes Mountains in the background (photo courtesy of Vines of Mendoza)

Hi, “Someone”- My friend who owns a vineyard at the Vines of Mendoza, asked VoM’s co-founder about reselling property there and this is what he said: “Thank you for your feedback. We have been selling private vineyard estates since 2006 and have had several of our owners resell their vineyards at much more than 50% of their investment. It is true that it is a small marketplace and it takes a lot of experience and investment to be able to sell such an exclusive product. We’ve been at it for over 10 years, and we sell only between 15 and 20 vineyards each year.
While we have very few of our 209 owners looking to resell, when they do, we are always willing to help our owner resell through their own channels or through us. This year alone we have already sold 5 vineyards on behalf of our clients for the prices that each owner sets.
Of our 209 private vineyard owners, not one has an address in Thousand Islands from where you posted, so unfortunately we aren’t in a position to have a direct conversation with you. If you’d like to reach out to me directly, I’d be happy to discuss the situation and see if we can help in some way. My email address is michael@vinesofmendoza.com. Thanks again for letting us know about your concerns and I look forward to talking with you directly about your concerns.”